The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is now enrolling for the 2013-14 school year. The program is funded by Washington State Department of Early Learning and the City of Seattle. ECEAP is a free half-day preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds whose families live or work in Seattle and meet income guidelines.

• Our preschools prepare your child for kindergarten.
• Our preschools honor family, culture and language.
• Our preschools help develop the skills and love for learning that lead to success in school and in life.

For more information call the Seattle Human Services Department at 206-386-1050 or see this brochure.

On July 15th, the National League of Cities (NLC) announced that the City of Seattle was one of 15 cities nationwide to receive grants to help reduce childhood hunger by increasing participation in after-school and summer meal programs for kids. The $60,000 grant will fund a program expansion consultant, a marketing and outreach campaign and start-up costs for new meals sites. NLC and the Food Research and Action Center will provide technical assistance, peer learning, and webinars to guide the grantees. HSD is working in partnership with United Way of King County, and WithinReach (a Washington state agency that works to improve maternal, child and family health) on implementing the grant.  

 The Seattle Human Services Department's Aging and Disability Services (ADS) division is partnering with the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC), 21 Acres Food Hub and local farmers to deliver fresh, organic produce bags to low-income, homebound seniors in King County this summer. This unique program is launching a new farm business while increasing access to healthy food. On July 10th Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Coop and 21 Acres delivered the first produce boxes to Meals on Wheels and Chicken Soup Brigade, two agencies that contract with ADS to deliver food to homebound seniors. NABC is providing a total of 1,200 produce bags through the summer and about 300 clients will be receiving them. 

Building on a successful pilot in 2012, the City of Seattle - in partnership with JPMorgan Chase, The Seattle Foundation, and 17 farmers markets and farm stands around Seattle - has launched an expanded Fresh Bucks program that will run from July through October 2013. Fresh Bucks doubles the value of produce purchases made with SNAP electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards at all Seattle Farmers Markets. EBT users receive $10 in Fresh Bucks per day for the purchase of fruits and vegetables when they purchase a minimum of $10 with their EBT card. For more information see this Web site.

The Mayor's Office for Senior Citizens is now hosting the Senior Rights Assistance Program that provides trained volunteers to assist with information about estate planning, guardianship, landlord/tenant concerns and elder law attorney referrals. For more information, please call 206-684-0500.

City of Seattle customers can now pay utility bills and taxes, purchase pet licenses, get a business license, and obtain information about and referrals to City services at a new customer service center located in the main lobby on the fourth floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower (SMT), 700 Fifth Ave. The customer service center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Most of the business City customers come downtown to transact is housed in SMT. Rather than having to travel to different floors within the high-rise, customers can conduct basic business in the street-level lobby. Considered a pilot project, Seattle officials will track the utilization of the center through the end of this year to determine if it makes sense to continue offering this service in 2014. Call 206-684-2489 (CITY) if you have questions or would like more information regarding this new service, or read the news release. 

United Way is feeding hungry kids this summer. The goal in this two-year One Million Meals Campaign is to serve 1 million summertime meals to kids and teens all over King County. About 99,000 school children rely on free or reduced-price lunch during the school year but in the summer, only 1 in 7 takes part in free meal programs. Hundreds of locations and community partners (including the Seattle Human Services Department) are setting up meal and activity sites where anyone 18 and younger can get a free bite to eat. Click here to learn how you can volunteer or participate in this effort. 

Every fall through Project Cool, South King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH) members and volunteers make sure that hundreds of homeless children and youth start the school year off right. Project Cool helps homeless students get the school supplies they need to feel confident and be prepared. For more than 24 years, Project Cool has helped more than 23,000 homeless students be ready for the first day of school. Project Cool for Back-to-School needs volunteers this month to help prepare 1,300 backpacks to make sure that homeless children in preschool through 12th grade start the school year off right in the fall. Click here to find out how you can be involved or contact Kathryn Murdock, Project Cool 2013 Coordinator at kathrynm@homelessinfo.org.

The Community Resource Exchange brings together hundreds of volunteers and 100 service providers to help more than 1,000 men, women and children facing homelessness to receive the services they need most. Organized by United Way of King County, the exchange will be held on September 17, 2013 at the Seattle Center. Free services include: 

• Legal counseling
• Medical and dental services
• Hot meals
• Books, socks and hygiene kits
• Haircuts
• Employment assistance
• Public benefits assistance
• Housing referrals and MORE